Updated at 2335 EAT on Monday 1 September 2025

The United Kingdom’s Labour government has announced the suspension of a scheme that allows registered refugees to bring family members into the country, citing mounting public pressure and growing support for far-right parties in opinion polls.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed on Monday that the refugee family reunion route will be “temporarily” closed to new applications as the government prepares to introduce revised immigration rules by spring next year.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has defended the UK government’s decision to temporarily suspend the refugee family reunion scheme, arguing that immigration must be governed by “fair and properly enforced rules, not chaos and exploitation driven by criminal smuggler gangs.”

According to a report by Al Jazeera, The scheme, currently under review, allows refugees granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK to bring in children under 18 and partners, provided they can prove a relationship of at least two years. However, the government says a surge in applications has increased pressure on already stretched housing and public services.

Cooper told MPs that many refugees were applying to bring relatives over within weeks of being granted status, and suggested that one of the planned reforms will include longer waiting periods before applications can be made.

Refugee charities have strongly criticised the move. Safe Passage, which supports child refugees, accused the Labour government of “giving in to far-right pressure” and warned that children fleeing conflict in countries such as Afghanistan, Sudan and Iran risk being “trapped in danger” as a result of the policy change.

Enver Solomon, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, warned that the government’s changes could have the opposite of their intended effect.

“Far from preventing dangerous Channel crossings, these changes will drive more desperate people into the hands of smugglers as they try to reunite with their loved ones,” he said.

Cooper announced the policy shift as Labour returned to a turbulent parliamentary session following the summer recess, marked by a series of anti-immigration protests targeting hotels accommodating asylum seekers across England—most recently in Epping, northeast of London, on Sunday.

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